Winemaker Notes
Dom Ruinart 2009 reveals an intense golden color enhanced with hints of almond green. Sun-kissed aromas of both fleshy and crisp fruit much like a sun-ripened lemon from Italy or juicy and mouth-watering apricot or a perfectly ripe nectarine from the orchard. Floral yet fruity, with white floral notes and honeyed accents. The bouquet evolves towards candied fruits, almond paste and orange blossom, combined with a fresh, chalky character. Rich and elegant; delicate acidity meets the freshness of stone fruit to create wonderful sapidity on the palate. Beautifully balanced, Dom Ruinart 2009 is a flavorful and vivacious wine with a long and subtle finish. Its delicate effervescence only enhances its refined texture.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An expansive and luxurious blanc de blancs Champagne with incredible depth of toasty and creamy character from long contact with the yeast. Flows over the palate in a single, great wave that extends into the enveloping and energetic finish, making you forget all the troubles of the world. Subtle floral, peach, candied-citrus and spicy notes. Spot-on balance and so lively, it surely has many years ahead of it. 80% of the cuvée is from Avize, Chouilly, Oger and Le Mesnil, plus 20% Montagne de Reims. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is showing very well out of the gates, wafting from the glass with aromas of stone fruits, wheat toast, blanched almonds and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, with an ample core of fruit, bright acids and chalky grip, it's complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is a charming, generous Dom Ruinart, yet it's also quite structured for the vintage and should enjoy a long life.
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Wine Spectator
There's a lovely, buoyant vibrancy to this round and harmonious blanc de blancs, with well-honed acidity wrapped in the fine mousse. Flavors of baked pineapple, ripe apricot, candied ginger and lemon thyme expand on the palate through to the minerally finish of chalk and smoke.
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Decanter
Bright but soft gold with pewter hints and even a touch of green. Smoky, floral, figs and almond paste, then spring flowers opening up with a little air; the palate repeats this beguiling mantra, reticent, shadowy at first, then, enjoying a few minutes in the glass, broader, fruitier, its appeal built on a foundation of sourdough, sun-ripened lemon and apricot. Supple yet long, sapid yet expressive, a more than pleasing statement from a warm but still classically refined vintage, its finish finely tapered and pleasingly long. Disgorged March 2018. Dosage:4g/L.
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is the emblem of the House, and it is the perfect expression of the Ruinart taste. It is comprised of 100% Chardonnay grapes grown primarily with Premiers Crus from the Côte de Blancs and Montagne de Reims terroirs, both prized for their aromatic finesse.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’